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First time solo traveler


miraprincess
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Hello Solo Cruisers: I see some really good posts. I am a female, cancer survivor in early 60. Now that I think I have been given a second chance in life, I wish to travel and explore the world. I am vegetarian (originally from India), but lived all my life in Canada.

I will like to know how to find good solo cruises? How about doing two cruises (one after the other). Do they serve vegetarian meals in the ship?

How about safety for solo female cruisers?

Lots of question. I need help from those who have experience.

Thanks in advance.:halo:

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Hello Solo Cruisers: I see some really good posts. I am a female, cancer survivor in early 60. Now that I think I have been given a second chance in life, I wish to travel and explore the world. I am vegetarian (originally from India), but lived all my life in Canada.

I will like to know how to find good solo cruises? How about doing two cruises (one after the other). Do they serve vegetarian meals in the ship?

How about safety for solo female cruisers?

Lots of question. I need help from those who have experience.

Thanks in advance.:halo:

 

Good morning, congrats on the good news:D.....I am 59 and have been cruising solo for nearly 15 years. I feel very

safe on board the ship. Normally crew/staff are very helpful if you need anything and most folks on board are friendly

as well.

Yes, people do b2b cruises.........(back to back) and yes, most all the cruiselines serve vegetarian meals.

As for which cruiseline to choose from? There are many out there........I have sailed on Celebrity for many years.

More recently I was able to sail with Silverseas (they are in the luxury category) it was more $$$ but I loved it:D

 

If you peruse this forum you will find lots of threads with different recommendations....everyone has their own

preferences......I enjoy Celebrity but I know others enjoy NCL on here. I would also recommend finding a local

TA who specializes in CRUISING.......maybe talk to them in person about what you are looking for.....we cannot

name TA's (travel agents) on this board so that is why I suggest finding one in your area.

I probably have 40 solo cruises and it is the only way I cruise, so yes, I love it:D

 

Hope you find what you are looking for:)

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Hello Solo Cruisers: I see some really good posts. I am a female, cancer survivor in early 60. Now that I think I have been given a second chance in life, I wish to travel and explore the world. I am vegetarian (originally from India), but lived all my life in Canada.

I will like to know how to find good solo cruises? How about doing two cruises (one after the other). Do they serve vegetarian meals in the ship?

How about safety for solo female cruisers?

Lots of question. I need help from those who have experience.

Thanks in advance.:halo:

 

NCL often has excellent deals for solo cruisers. Besides the studio cabins on their new ships, some itineraries will charge a lower "supplement" to the double occupancy rate - usually it's a 50% surcharge. I am doing a 10 day cruise on NCL and the base fare for my inside cabin was just $644. I've also found really good deals with Carnival.

 

Most importantly, choose an itinerary where you'll want to go off the ship. Even if the onboard activities don't excite you, there are some great destinations that'll you'll enjoy regardless.

 

Plenty of food options. In terms of safety, it's a lot safer than the neighborhood bar on a Saturday night, worst case. Common sense and caution always prevails.

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Hi, Lois --

 

I'm 66 and just took my first cruise this past September (Holland America, 14-day "Great Alaska Explorer, r/trip from Seattle), and loved every minute of it. I've traveled solo quite a lot since retirement and on business before that. I felt safer on the ship than I felt in many hotels.

 

The process I went through to decide on that trip involved 3 key decisions: 1) which cruise line? 2) what itinerary? and 3) which cabin?

 

I started by asking friends who cruise which cruise lines they liked and why. They know me well, and know that I'm prone to claustrophobia (not "panic-attack" level, but some discomfort), don't like crowds, and I have some mobility issues related mostly to breathing and also, as a brain tumor survivor I have some slight balance and stamina issues related to that. Their recommendations: go for a smaller ship (<2000 passengers), and try to book a cruise that was longer than 7 days. Everyone mentioned Holland America as a possibility so I started there.

 

Next, I looked for an itinerary -- since I live between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, I figured an Alaska cruise would be a great first experience. I looked over all the Alaska itineraries, and decided the 2-week round-trip tour out of Seattle was a good one, stopping at some ports that other larger ships can't. OK!

 

THEN I started looking at price. There are great deals to be had, for sure, but for me, itinerary trumps everything. I wanted to nail down the itinerary, then get the best deal I could on that specific cruise. Given the givens, I figured a larger cabin would be better for a first experience, so I decided to book the largest cabin I could for the best price I could get taking into consideration the "single supplement." I worked with one of Holland America's "Personal Cruise Consultants," and got what I felt was a good deal on a larger cabin with a large exterior veranda/balcony, near the aft elevator that was also close to the Main Dining Room and Lido entrances. Given everything, I felt the cost justified the experience, so I booked it.

 

I've now booked 5 more trips, two more on Holland America (one North Atlantic, one South Pacific), one on Regent Seven Seas (Alaska + US west coast + Panama Canal to Miami), and two on Cunard that are "back to back": a round-trip transatlantic cruise out of New York City followed immediately by another round-trip from NYC to Quebec. I followed the same process for those, but I did make an exception on the Cunard trip -- the Queen Mary 2 is a larger ship (2600 passengers), but I'll be situated mid-ship and won't have to travel far for meals, music, etc. Oh -- and the best "single supplement" deal on any of the trips was from Regent Seven Seas -- they're another "luxury" line, all inclusive (including wine, specialty dining, etc.).

 

So that's how I do it. Oh -- and I'm assuming most ships are like the Amsterdam (my ship on the Alaska cruise) -- there were several vegetarian options on each of the evening menus, and you can certainly make special requests as long as you let them know in advance what you need.

 

Above all, have a good time!

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

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I have got some really valuable advises from all you experienced cruisers. I am wondering if there is a common site where we can share good forthcoming studio/solo cruise itineraries. This will be good for new comers like me to find something quickly. I have been searching for long time (maybe I am not that experienced) to find a studio. Most of them seem almost same price as interior. I am on a pension now and budget traveler. Hence getting a bit discouraged.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

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Miraprincess, I know how you feel. Between single supplements and decreased Cdn$, cruising isn't cheap.

You might benefit from visiting a cruise expert travel agent. In Canada there are ExpediaCruiseShipCenters in most cities....or deal with them online.

If you want something soon, there is a website which sells off trips that are in the next few weeks(vacations to go). The problem there, is that airline prices to get to the port might negate some of the savings. I am in Ontario, so might be tempted to drive to New York, New Jersey or Baltimore to avoid airfare.

I am an experienced solo traveler, but have appreciated gaining the knowledge and assistance of an expert - at least for the first trip.

Depending on demand, you can sometimes get an oceanview cabin cheaper than a studio. As a solo traveler, you can still attend the solo events and access the studio lounge for their happy hour events and then go to dinner together if you wish.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm 59 and doing my 4th solo, balcony and all. I always sit at a large table for dinner and end up meeting the nicest people. You always get a good seat at the shows because single seats are easy to find. With the exception of Falmouth Jamaica, I have always felt safe on excursions. There are other people on them and you easily make friends. Enjoy your first solo!!

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